Virginia Tech Hokies hot and spicy foods

Virginia Tech fans have referred to their athletic teams by the nickname Fighting Gobblers since early in the 20th century.

Several claims have been made concerning the name origin.

One states that the name began in 1909, when then football coach Branch Bocock initiated his players into a “Gobbler Club.”

Another popular theory links the time when the university was a military college known as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College to military cadets. As future officers and gentlemen, military cadets wern’t allowed to look at their plates as they ate. If one did it was called “gobbling” your food and a cause for punishment.

But athletes were fed larger food portions and allowed to “gobble” their meals ibecause of limited meal times. In 1909 the football team was the first to be called the “Gobblers.” The nickname became official in 1912.

No matter what tht truth, the “Gobbler” nickname was popularized by 1913. Local resident Floyd Meade trained a large turkey to do various stunts, including pulling him in a decorated cart before a football game. Otther mascots following continued to romp on the sidelines of games well into the 1950s.

Virginia Tech Hokies Mascot
The official mascot of Virginia Tech is The HokieBird which debuted in a 1981 football game against Wake Forrest. The HokieBird is a turkey-like figure that resembles Foghorn Leghorn. It’s been called “the Hokie mascot,” “the Hokie,” and “the Hokie bird.” The name HokieBird is based on an “Old Hokie” cheer.

An updated costume was worn by the HokieBird in 1987 arriving in a white limo at the season home opener against Clemson.

The HokieBird remains very popular and appears on Animal Planet’s “Turkey Secrets,” a program shown around Thanksgiving. Nowadays “Hokie”generally refers to a Virginia Tech Student.

The HokieBird is not low-key. He or she rollerblades through campus, responds to tweets and visits classes, dorms and dining halls.

According to the University, a rumor persists that there are 3-6 HokieBirds at one time. But this isn’t true. However, the try-out process remains a secret.